KATHMANDU, JUNE 8

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has written to the local levels concerned, directing them to implement the provision for suspension in the case of recently elected people's representatives.

The anti-graft body directed the local levels to implement and continue the suspension of elected people's representatives over sub-judice graft cases against them. They are: Devi Datta Upadhyay, Nandaram Giri, Hariram Bhandari, and Surat Bahadur Rawal. Of them, Upadhaya was elected chairperson of Mohanyal Rural Municipality of Kailali. Similarly, Giri was elected Ward No 3 chair of Mohanyal Rural Municipality, Bhandari was elected Ward 9 chair of Bidur Municipality, Nuwakot, and Rawal the Ward No 7 chair of Panchadebal Binayak Rural Municipality, Achham.

They had filed their nomination and got elected in the local level polls held on May 13. Despite publication of a notice by the district election office for complaint, if any against their nomination, no one had raised question over their candidacy. All of them had been facing corruption charges.

The CIAA had, on April 14, filed a chargesheet against 14 persons at the Special Court for embezzlement of public assets through revenue leakage.

Those sued by the anti-graft body in the court were late chairperson of Mohanyal Rural Municipality Nawal Singh Rawal, acting chairperson Pujadevi Budha, seven ward chairs including Upadhyay, three ward members, chief administrative officer Ganesh Datta Ojha and construction entrepreneur Makar Bahadur Shah. Upadhyay, who was elected chairperson of the rural municipality in the May 13 local level polls, was chair of Ward 2 when the anti-graft body filed the charge. He was automatically suspended as ward chair following court proceedings.

According to the CIAA, the elected representatives, including Upadhaya, had embezzled around Rs 5.41 million on the pretext of waiving off sales tax and VAT applicable to river products of various streams flowing through the rural municipality. Giri, chair of Ward No 9 of the same rural municipality, was elected chair of the same ward in the May 13 local level polls. He was also sued at the court in connection with the same charge, which Upadhyay was facing.

Likewise, the CIIA had, in 2019, filed a case against him at the court for joining government services as a teacher by submitting fake certificates of educational qualification in 2019. His case is sub-judice in the court.

According to the CIAA, Rawal was also convicted of using fake credentials and was ineligible to contest election.

A version of this article appears in the print on June 9, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.